I love to see places I recognize in my favorite films or movies. In Die Another Day, I was tickled when I saw the press conference Gustave Grave, the villain in this film, held in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace. The Palace Press Office handles all requests for permission to film on the grounds.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
I could spend hours looking at the lattice work of the Eiffel Tower. I amazed by what was accomplished with steel. Reminds me of the crocheting my mom used to do, so delicate, so intricate.
It isn’t difficult to understand why this is called Boulders Beach. Rocks like these are everywhere. But it is the colony of jackass penguins that seem to hold everyone’s fascination.
The colony has grown from two breeding pairs in 1982 to nearly 3,000. What’s most interesting and surprising is the braying sound they make. You’d swear there were some jackasses around.
Stained glass is made by adding metallic salts its manufacture. Small pieces of glass are arranged to patterns that are held together by strips of lead.
I grew up hearing Monty Alexander on the radio in Jamaica but had no idea who he was until years later when I saw him perform some of the music I was familiar with.
Monty Alexander was born in Kingston in 1944. He took his first piano lessons when he was six years old but he’s largely self-taught.
Over the years, Alexander, a jazz pianist who mixes jazz and reggae, has recorded as many as 70 albums. He’s performed and recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson and Clark Terry among others. He also assisted Natalie Cole with her tribute album, Unforgettable, which won seven Grammy Awards.
In addition, Alexander recorded the piano track for the Clint Eastwood movie, Bird, about the life of jazz icon, Charlie Parker.
Alexander was awarded the title of Commander in the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica in 2000 for outstanding service to the country as worldwide music ambassador.
Since that first performance, I’ve seen Alexander in concert several times since then. Give a listen to his rendition of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry and The Monty Alexander Trio playing Grub at the Dakota Jazz Club.
Designed by Norman Foster, London House also known as London City Hall, was opened in 2002. Because of its unusual shape, it has been referred to by the former mayor as “The Glass Testicle” and as “The Glass Gonad” by the current mayor, Boris Johnson. It’s popularly called The Onion.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
I don’t know about you but when I arrive at my destination, I hate having to wait for my luggage to arrive on the airport carousel. It always seems like such a waste of time just standing there waiting when all I want to do is hit the ground running. So I take just enough to fit into a suitcase that stows easily into the overhead compartment.
I didn’t always travel like that though I can’t pinpoint now exactly when it happened.
I remember lugging what seemed like all my earthly possessions, including the kitchen sink, from one terminal to another to board a connecting flight at Madrid Barajas International Airport. I swore then that I’d never travel with more than I needed. Of course, I promptly forgot that promise as soon as I returned home.
Then there was a period when most people who flew on Air Jamaica brought a change of clothing in a carry-on bag as they never knew when they’d arrive at their destination before their luggage.
Whether you’re packing for a weekend getaway or a trip around the world, the biggest decision to be made is what we take and what we leave behind. Seems simple, right?
As creatures of habit, we wear the same shoes, carry the same purse over and over, even though we might have other suitable ones in our closets. Why then when we go on vacation, we bring more than we usually use?
My first rule of packing is planning – I make a list just like I do when I shop. I think of what I wear in a normal week and pack those items only. I also keep a small bag in my suitcase with mini toiletries – lotion, moisturizer, deodorant, toothpaste, etc., as well gadgets such as my cell phone charger, adapter, batteries, memory cards, etc. That way I don’t have to search for them when I need them.
The week before I travel, I check the list to make sure there isn’t something I used, something I might need that wasn’t on the list. For example, I might have started taking a new vitamin or prescription.
Since I started getting ready for my trip, I’ve been asking other travel bloggers for their luggage recommendations and researching suitable suitcases. Here are two that been highly recommended:
MEI Voyageur: Measuring 22 x 14 x 9, this backpack converts to a traditional looking luggage, so you don’t have to look like a backpacker (though nothing’s wrong with that) when you check into a fancy hotel. It’s hand made to order in the U.S. and comes with a lifetime warranty. Costs $139.
Kelty Redwing 2650 Backpack: This one was recommended by John at Happypoppeye, an intrepid traveler.
Enjoy!
Travel, especially to places I’ve been to before, takes on a different dimension when I know it can be fodder for a new post. Like my recent trip to Washington, DC, a place I lived for ten years. The last time I was there, it was for the usual round of family visits and I didn’t have time to venture off by myself and revisit old haunts to see them with different, travel blogger, eyes.
Before I got to Washington, I knew I had to see the MLK Memorial so the friend I was scheduled to meet decided to tag along as she hadn’t seen it yet.
I hadn’t been on the Mall since the Inauguration of President Obama in 2009 and before that for the Cherry Blossom Festival a year or so earlier. On both occasions, we stayed in a localized area. This time was different. It was a pleasant day and we decided to get off the subway at Gallery Place and walk.
The National Mall is to Washington, DC what Central Park is to New York City, what the Champs Elysees is to Paris. It is like the nation’s living room, or maybe the kitchen, the place everyone gathers for events large and small.
We strolled leisurely towards the general area of the Tidal Basin and bumped into a few unexpected treats along the way, like the Sculpture Garden.
Not much further on, we came upon the National Book Festival, which has been held annually on the Mall for the past eleven years. Being a booklover, it was tempting not to stop and listen to some of the authors and wander through the tents. I settled for a copy of the program, instead.
Each time I see the National World War II Memorial, I’m just blown over by the sheer beauty and expanse of it. Memorials reflect an artist’s vision of how to best capture and express visually our emotions surrounding an event. The World War II memorial, I think, does that effectively.
The Korean War Memorial always hits me in the gut, maybe because it duplicates what the battlefield must have looked like. Dressed in their military garb, the soldiers are caught in mid-step, guns at the ready. Except for the sounds, it’s not difficult to imagine what this war must have been like.
As much as I enjoy being on the Mall, seeing these memorials always wipe me out because there’s usually so many emotions to process. But I wish now I had pushed through my hunger and emotional fatigue and gone over to the Viet Nam War Memorial. It would have been interesting to see the contrasts. Next time.
